A year or two ago, even supporters of the dozens of neighborhood breweries that have popped up all over Southern California were predicting the movement had reached its apex. Surely we would see a die-off. There can’t be that many fans of double IPAs, Imperial stouts and sour beers.

But the growth continues. And many craft breweries that fail quickly reopen under new ownership and brew masters.

Nationally, the news is just as positive. A March 2017 report from the Brewers Association estimates that craft beer claims 12.3 percent of the overall market share by volume in the U.S. In 2016 there were more than 5,300 breweries in the country that produced 24.6 million barrels of brew, a 6 percent increase over 2015.

Head brewer Trevor Walls, left, and Jon Eckelberger, assistant brewer, stand next to the kettles used for brewing beer at Pizza Port in San Clemente. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Brothers-in-law Ryan Hopkins, left, and Ryan Rasmussen became a modern-day version of milkmen when their Riip Beer Co. began making its door-to-door deliveries of craft beer via a 1931 Helms Bread truck. (Photo by Cindy Yamanka, Orange County Register/SCNG)

The Bruery in Placentia has a grain silo used to store base malt for the many beers it creates on site. (Photo by Nick Koon, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Ulric Pattillo of Lakewood sips one of the beers in his taster sampler at The Bruery in Placentia. (Photo by Josh Morgan, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Noble Ale Works bartender Matt Fantz, right, takes orders from patrons coming in for an after-work beer on a Friday evening. (Photo by Isaac Arjonilla, Orange County Register/SCNG)

The Autumn Maple from The Bruery in Placentia. (Photo by Cindy Yamanka, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Brews from The Bruery in Placentia. Pictured, from left, Humulus Wet, Autumn Maple, Old Richland and Smoking Wood. (Photo by Cindy Yamanaka, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Taps Fish House and Brewery in Brea. (Photo by H. Lorren Au Jr., Orange County Register/SCNG)

Kevin and Steven Obregon, who pose on August 9, 2017, own the Commoner in Uptown Whittier. The gastropod is contributing to Uptown Whittier’s beer-centric reputation. (Photo by Sarah Reingewirtz, Pasadena Star-News/SCNG)

Pete Obregon, who works with his brothers at the Commoner in Uptown Whittier passes their new beer tap on August 9, 2017. The gastropod is contributing to Uptown Whittier’s beer-centric reputation. (Photo by Sarah Reingewirtz, Pasadena Star-News/SCNG)

Walkers pass the Commoner in Uptown Whittier on August 9, 2017. The gastropod is contributing to Uptown Whittier’s beer-centric reputation. (Photo by Sarah Reingewirtz, Pasadena Star-News/SCNG)

According to Beverage Dynamics, a national magazine for beer retailers, consumers’ tastes and habits are evolving, and that helps keep the movement strong. Some recent trends: Beer fans crave new flavors and are increasingly willing to broaden their horizons; megabrand loyalty is fading; bars and restaurants have greatly expanded their craft beer offerings; consumers are willing to pay more for beer, even if they’re consuming it at home; canned craft beer is becoming more popular.

A new normal is emerging in which every community has its own local brews – ironically, much like the beer industry of a century ago, before Prohibition and repeal, consolidation and modern methods of preservation and distribution changed everything. Like the slow-food movement, craft beer taps into feelings of community pride and enlightened consumerism: supporting a local product, choosing freshness and authenticity over convenience and slick marketing, and cherishing a place where people gather to socialize, kick back and mingle with friends and neighbors.

We’ve taken a deep dive into craft breweries throughout Southern California and made some surprising discoveries. They’re the perfect business to revitalize neighborhoods and give new life to old buildings. In many cases, they act as catalysts for community involvement. And they often draw in the performing arts, galleries and other things that improve a neighborhood’s quality of life.

Here’s a look at craft breweries region by region.

Finally, craft beer flows freely in O.C.

Not long ago, if you lived in Orange County and wanted to dive deeply into the bubbling subculture of craft beer, you had to head north to L.A. or, better yet, south to San Diego, one of the nation’s best places for artisanal suds.

Not anymore. These days, Orange County is awash in an ocean of locally brewed beer.

Over the last few years, the ranks of craft breweries have swollen from a handful to well over 30. And north Orange County, especially Anaheim, has established itself as a key part of the movement, although wherever you live in O.C. you’re probably no more than a short drive away from a tasty brew served in the place where it was born.

This is relatively new. For a long time it seemed Orange County might sit out the craft beer trend.

But there was a huge bump on the road to craft beer nirvana. O.C. beer makers operated under irksome local regulations that, they say, made it hard for a full-blown beer scene to take off.

The situation finally improved in 2014, when Orange County health officials relinquished oversight of beer-making operations to California’s Department of Public Health, the state agency that regulates breweries in Los Angeles and San Diego counties, among other places. The switch eliminated upfront fees and restaurant-style inspections for local beer makers, sparking an upturn in local craft brewery openings.

Anaheim has become the unofficial headquarters of O.C.’s craft beer movement thanks to its mayor, Tom Tait, who’s a big fan and, like any astute politician, saw an opportunity to make his town a beer haven. “I like what (the craft beer industry) does to a community. It brings people together, creates a social network and social infrastructure,” Tait told the Register in 2016.

Thanks to Tait’s efforts, the city has significantly reduced the need for a conditional use permit. And Tait was the one who lobbied county officials to have the state’s public health department oversee the vetting process for new craft breweries.

L.A. and South Bay breweries improve the neighborhood

The quality and quantity of craft breweries in Los Angeles County is at an all-time high, and their rise hasn’t just meant higher-quality beers – in many cases it has translated into improved neighborhoods.

“We have seen growth of 33 percent in the last year,” said Frances Lopez, executive director of the Los Angeles County Brewers Guild. “We had 44 breweries (countywide) last year; we’re currently at 60.”

Kid-friendly and in most cases dog-friendly, too, breweries see themselves as community hubs that in some cases are redefining neighborhoods. Several breweries have pushed along revitalization efforts by reviving massive unused or underused spaces and bringing new residents and money into neighborhoods.

And in the rapidly transforming downtown Arts District there are now seven production breweries within walking distance, up from just one three years ago.

Angel City Brewing and Iron Triangle revamped large and empty industrial warehouses to create breweries and tap rooms, while nearby Arts District Brewing turned the former Crazy Gideon electronic shop into its busy headquarters.

Even the blue-collar burgs of Inglewood, Hawthorne and Carson now boast breweries, while the Antelope Valley has four; however, none have popped up in trendy areas such as Hollywood and Culver City.

“Not only do we have a lot of territory, but a lot of municipal and cultural hubs,” Lopez said. “There are a lot of untapped markets we have yet to expand into.

“I think growth will stay on a similar trajectory for the next couple of years.”

– Nick Green and Richard Guzman

Inland Wharf is the newest craft beer brewery in Murrieta. (Photo by Frank Bellino, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)

Breweries still bubbling up Inland

Is there an end in sight to the brewery boom?

The (two-county) region went from having just a few breweries a decade ago to nearly 60 today – technically, 56, with three set to open in the near future.

The city of Riverside realized the positive economic potential of the small brewery business and about five years ago adopted policies to encourage new breweries. As a result, Riverside has become another brewery hub and is now home to eight breweries.

San Bernardino and Riverside Counties are also attracting outposts of breweries rooted elsewhere in Southern California. Bootlegger’s Brewery, which started in Fullerton, expanded to Redlands in January, and two San Diego-based breweries, Karl Strauss and Ballast Point, opened locations in Temecula.

Existing breweries are developing their operations as well.

In Riverside, Thompson Brewing Co., which debuted in 2013, is in the process of opening a two-story brewpub across the street from its old location.

The relocation didn’t leave a void, however. Thompson’s former home was sold and is now operating as Route 30 Brewing Co.

Corona’s Skyland Ale Works, which opened in late 2014, has already outgrown its original location and recently moved to a much larger spot across the industrial park.

As with Thompson’s, Skyland’s old operation has been sold and a new brewery will take shape in the coming months.

Escape in Redlands is expanding into a space next door, which will give it a larger patio and storage.

And as the breweries grow patrons are seeking an expanded selection on tap.

“It’s not all about your traditional straightforward beers,” Fisher said.

When people come in, they want to know what’s new and what’s different.

Paul D. Hodgins has worked at the Orange County Register since 1993. He spent more than two decades as the Register’s theater critic, and for eight years he wrote about dance as well. Hodgins has also written for American Theatre, Variety, The Sondheim Review and Backstage West. He was the principal classical musicr. Hodgins has also been active as an educator and scholar. He was the music director of the dance department at The University of California, Irvine from 1985-92 and served in similar positions at Eastern Michigan University, Vancouver’s Simon Fraser University and the Banff Centre for the Arts. His book about relationships between music and choreography, Music, Movement and Metaphor, was published in 1992. Since 2001 Hodgins has taught arts and entertainment journalism at California State University, Fullerton. Hodgins holds a doctorate in musical composition and theory from the University of Southern California. He lives in Huntington Beach.

Nick Green is the longtime soccer columnist for the Southern California Newspaper Group and covers Torrance, Lomita and the craft beer industry for the Daily Breeze. He also blogs about soccer at www.insidesocal.com/soccer, the local craft beer scene at www.insidesocal.com/beer and the South Bay at blogs.dailybreeze.com/southbay/. The native of England lives in Old Torrance with his wife and two cats.

Vanessa Franko is the Digital Director of Entertainment for the Southern California News Group. The lure of palm trees and covering pop culture brought her to The Press-Enterprise in Riverside in 2006. Vanessa has reported on everything from the Palm Springs International Film Festival to the MLB All-Star Game as a reporter, photographer, videographer and on-camera personality. She's won awards for her coverage of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival and for crime reporting in her home state of Maryland. Vanessa studied multimedia storytelling as a Knight Digital Media Center fellow in Dec. 2011 and has taught college courses in digital journalism. She's seen shows at every major concert venue in Southern California, but most special was when Paul McCartney played the high-desert roadhouse Pappy & Harriet's in Pioneertown for a couple hundred fans in Oct. 2016. Her album collection numbers in the thousands (including a couple hundred on vinyl) and when she isn't hunting for records, she and her husband like to check out the best in Southern California craft beer and watch sports. She also had a cameo in the 1992 Atlanta Braves highlight film "Lightning Strikes Twice!"

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